For nearly a decade,scientists have told city and state officials that New York faces certain peril: rising sea levels,more frequent flooding and extreme weather patterns. The alarm bells grew louder after tropical storm Irene last year,when the city shut down its subway system and water rushed into Lower Manhattan. On Tuesday,as New Yorkers woke up to submerged neighbourhoods and water-soaked electrical equipment,officials took their first tentative steps toward considering major infrastructure changes that could protect the citys fragile shores and eight million residents from repeated disastrous damage. Governor Andrew M Cuomo said the state should consider storm surge barriers.
